They'll try to close the gap in two separate races Saturday and Sunday on a 1.69-mile street circuit in Houston's Reliant Park.

Points are awarded on a sliding scale according to a car's finish, and the winner can earn up to 54 points in a single race by also leading the most laps and winning the pole position.

IndyCar has been idle since its street race in Baltimore on Sept. 1, which Pagenaud won. After Houston, the series wraps up Oct. 19 with a night race on the fast, two-mile Auto Club Speedway oval in Fontana.

"We need to close the points gap [in Houston] and make sure we're in the championship fight for the last race at Auto Club Speedway," said Dixon, who won three consecutive races in July for the Target Chip Ganassi Racing team.